


A Midwinter's Walk

by DarkCorgi



Category: heralds of valdemar
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2004-12-05
Updated: 2004-12-05
Packaged: 2018-09-28 12:35:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,297
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10101029
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkCorgi/pseuds/DarkCorgi
Summary: Keren and Sherrill take a walk on Midwinter's Eve and reminisce about their lost companion. (Femmeslash)





	

Author: Corgi   
Title: A Midwinter's Walk  
Fandom: Heralds of Valdemar/Book  
Pairing: Keren/Ylsa and Keren/Sherrill  
Rating: PG  
Summary: Keren and Sherrill take a walk on Midwinter's Eve and reminisce about their lost companion. (Femmeslash)  
Disclaimer: All characters belong to Mercedes Lackey. No infringement is intend and no money is made from this story.  
Feedback: darkcorgi@yahoo.com  
Advertisement: Part of the Slash Advent Calendar 2004 at: http://www.kardasi.com/Advent/2004/SAC-2004.htm  
Beta: Thanks once again to the one and only Magdelena work her willingness to wander out of the world of Harry Potter.  
A/N: Dialog marked ::"yyy":: indicates mind speech.

 

The noise in the Great Hall was deafening and the heat of so many bodies packed inside was stifling. It was Midwinter's Eve and Keren wanted nothing more than to escape the mob and the noise they made. Unfortunately she was stuck trailing the Queen and her consort as they made their rounds through the throng of people hoping to score points against their competitors by attracting the attention of her charges. Keren hated these formal gatherings of the Court and she couldn't wait to leave. She drew on her self-taught patience and forced her thoughts to the back of her mind as she scanned the crowd that was hoping for a moment of Queen Selenay's attention. Even though they were no longer at war with Hardorn and Karse they still had much to worry about with the Eastern Empire looming on Hardorn's eastern border. They couldn't dismiss the possibility of assassination from that end or the still many disgruntled nobles with in Valdemar's borders. 

 

Keren caught sight of the Queen's Own Herald Talia and her mountain man Herald Dirk working their way through the crowd. Talia was using her gift of empathy to weed out any potential troublemakers among the celebrating throng. Every now and then she noticed Dirk signaling one of the mind speakers along the walls when someone failed Talia's test. Keren sent a prayer to the Lady to spare them from any nonsense that night. They just barely escaped one catastrophe and didn't need anymore close calls.

 

The Mid-Winter celebration didn't seem to be stopping anytime soon and much to her relief her twin brother Teren arrived to relieve her of guard duty. Keren quickly said her farewells to the Queen and her consort and quickly as humanly possible searched the milling mass for her life-mate. Somewhere in this mess was the Karasite Priest Karal and where he was so was her mate. Keren wove through the crowd with a grace acquired by a lifetime's service to the crown and much to her surprise she entered the only patch of clear space in the entire room. The reason for that clearing sat serenely in the center. Altra, the Karasite's answer to Valdemar's Companion, sat placidly watching her enter his regal presence. The Firecat's cream fur gleamed in the torchlight and the brick red markings on his ears, face, feet and tail looked like garnet. His bright blue eyes, the only thing his kind shared with the Companions, shone with amusement as she stopped a foot away from him. Without the obvious humor in eyes one would think he was an ordinary house cat, if you could ignore the fact that he was as big as a calf.

 

"A Merry Midwinter's eve to you Lord Altra, how are you this evening?" Keren said with mischief dancing in her gray eyes as the courtiers around her watched in obvious shock as she spoke with the cat. Altra was obviously disguising himself to those who didn't know him as a common house cat.

 

::"And a Merry Midwinter to you and yours, Herald Keren. I am fine and I know that you are relieved to finally escape this barrel of fish.":: Altra responded in a dry tone.

 

"You certainly enjoy causing a scene." Keren laughed as the nobles crowded their neighbors in an effort to get away from the obviously ill Herald. "I'm surprised to see you without Karal. You haven't left his side since he lost his sight."

 

::"I normally wouldn't, but there was an emergency at the main cathedral to Vkandis and Karal was required to take the Priest's place for the Fire Kindling Ceremony in the morning. I'm here to deliver a message to you from Herald Sherrill. She said that she'll meet you in the Companions' shelter in the Field when she returns, in about a quarter hour.":: Altra told her and before she could thank him, he vanished to return to his charge’s side.

 

Keren smiled and quickly left the Great Hall, returning to her quarters long enough to snag her winter gear. She took the fastest route to the Companions' Field from the Herald's wing of the palace. Dantris, her Companion, met her at the fence and whickered a greeting as she came into range.

 

::"Hello, Dantris, old friend. How are you, luv?":: 

 

::"Well enough, Chosen. I'm feeling my age just as you are these days.":: Dantris snuffled her short cropped hair as she wrapped her arms around her oldest and dearest friend.

 

::"Enough of that, Dantris, I refuse to think that way. For the first time in our lives we don't have to interrupt our festivities to mourn one of our fallen comrades. We're at peace until the Eastern Empire pulls itself together and decides to come after us all.":: 

 

::"True, Chosen, but I think you have other things in mind for tonight and Sherill has returned."::

 

::"Enjoy your evening, old friend."::

 

::"And you yours, Chosen.":: Dantris nuzzled her cheek in farewell before cantering off into the darkness.

 

Keren watched the pure white stallion disappear into the trees and turned to make her way to the Companions' shelter deeper into the field. She loved being out here despite the snow. She was always the outdoor type and given that she was from a fisher village on Lake Evendim it was only natural that she was. Keren arrived before Sherrill did and she leaned against the stall reserved for her lover's Companion and settled in to wait. Her eyes glanced around the old familiar building and she frowned each time her eyes found a stall that once belonged to the Companion of a fallen Herald. Now those stalls belonged to different Companions and it drove the loss home much stronger each time she noticed. The wars had taken a heavy toll on the Heralds, but the ranks have swelled with each new crop of trainees being brought in by their Companions. The Herald's Collegium was full once again and it signified trouble to come, but for now they were enjoying their first taste of peace in decades. 

 

Her reflection in a bucket caught her attention and she looked critically at herself. She was still skinny as a boy and flat as a board, her hair had more gray than brown and her gray eyes had a nest of wrinkles at their corners, but all in all she was still the same person she was when Dantris carried her off when she was thirteen. She still had the endless supply of patience she taught herself to have when she was younger and used it constantly as she taught the newly chosen how to work as a team with their Companions. Keren were jerked out of her examination by the arrival of Sherrill and her Companion. Wordlessly she helped Sherrill groom her Companion and then clean the tack. They easily fell into this routine each time Sherrill was sent out on a short mission for the Queen. Thankfully they never sent her on anything too hazardous. Keren didn't think Talia would be able to find another person that fit her needs so well. It was a stroke of luck that Sherrill was able to fill that need when her first life bonded Ylsa was killed those many years ago. Keren was under no delusions when it came to self assessment. She knew she'd fall apart if she lost on the crucial beings in her life. Teren, Dantris and Ylsa were the focal points of her existence and she nearly succeeded in killing herself when Ylsa was murdered. Only Talia's intervention and one of those leaps of insight that only the Queen's Own possesses brought Sherrill into her life. How Talia guessed that Sherrill what exactly what she needed to re-forge the life bond she lost that night.

 

She and Sherrill walked silently out of the shelter and into the moonlit hills of the Companions' Field. Sherrill was in deep thought as they walked hand in hand through the snowy park and Keren allowed her to dwell in her thoughts as she watched the reflected light on the snow create patterns in her long black hair. They walked over to one of the small lakes hidden in the field and Keren decided to break Sherrill out of her thoughts.

 

"Silver for your thoughts?" Keren asked and she became a little concerned by the look in Sherrill's hazel eyes.

 

"What was being with Ylsa like?" Sherrill asked hesitantly. 

 

"Much like it is being with you only the face is different. What's brought this on?"

 

"I still feel to this day that something's missing and I think it's Ylsa. You mentioned once that you and Ylsa wondered about me since I was always hovering nearby when you were together and I can't help feeling like I’m trespassing despite our life-bond."

 

"Yes we did wonder about you and we were going to talk to you when you came back from your internship. Unfortunately Ylsa was ambushed and killed. Talia's sending for you confirmed what we guessed when you managed to pull me out of my death wish."

 

"What was your first Midwinter together like?" 

 

"I had finished my internship in the early fall and Ylsa finished mid summer. I remember we decided not to delve into our possible relationship until after our required field exercise, and we started talking. After all we really didn't know much about each other and slowly built the foundations of our partnership. A few days talking were all we needed to confirm that what we had was a life bond, that and confirmation from Dantris and Felara and their insistence that we get on with it." Keren smiled at the memory and at the sound of Sherrill giggling. "We spent our first Midwinter Festival at a small lake just outside Haven. I tried to teach her to skate, but after falling on her behind a dozen times she gave up and went hunting for a couple of rabbits while I dug for some tubers along the lake edge. Other than that notable excursion there isn't much to tell." 

 

Keren looked closely at Sherrill before fishing in her pocket for the box she placed in there before the Midwinter Eve's ball. She handed the brightly wrapped box to Sherrill and just smiled as her bond mate looked questioningly at the box. Sherrill took the box and slowly peeled away the paper. After tucking the paper into a pocket Sherrill slowly opened the box. A small shock of surprise was the only sound out of her.

 

"When did you get this, Keren?" Sherrill whispered while gently touching the white gold Companion pendant.

 

"Ylsa had bought it for you. She wanted to give it to you after we cornered you. I just found where she had hidden it when I was packing my rooms to move into yours." Keren replied and took the necklace out of the box. 

 

After fastening it around her neck she turned Sherrill so she could look the younger Herald in the eyes. Hopefully what she was going to say next would put Sherrill's doubts to rest.

 

"Talia told me a few days after we buried Ylsa and Felara that she had a message for me from her. Ylsa's last missive was 'Tell Keren that if she doesn't take what Sherrill's offering I'll come back and haunt her.' So it's safe to say that you're not intruding and most likely would have fit in nicely with us if we had that opportunity."

 

"I can't help feeling that way. I miss Ylsa and I don't know if it's because I really never got a chance to know her or because of the unfulfilled bond." Sherrill replied with a sigh.

 

"Maybe it's both, but enough of that. I love you, Sherrill, and I don't want to spend the rest of the night wallowing in sad memories. We should be creating new ones to share with Ylsa when we meet up someday."

 

Keren halted anything that Sherrill had to say by capturing her lips in a kiss. Slowly the kiss built from chaste to passionate and their world narrowed to just them. So lost they were in their bond they never noticed the moonlit white mare watching them. 

 

The Companion's blue eyes shown with amusement, love and satisfaction as she watched the life bonded couple. Soon her attention was captured by a Call no Companion ignored, the siren's song of their Chosen's readiness for the life of a Herald. The mare gave one final look at the two women by the lake and turned away at a canter towards the Palace. Standing at the bottom of the hill was her Chosen, looking very confused as to why his feet made him come outside on such a cold night. The mare had watched this child grow up and was thrilled to know that Herald Talia's and Herald Dirk's son was destined to be her charge. After all Talia made sure her sacrifice wasn't in vain and ensured the survival of the one she left behind in death.

 

::"Hello, young one, I am Ilsay and you are my Chosen."::

**fin**


End file.
